Transcending Reincarnation

Zhou Yan heard the woman's request, his expression remaining unchanged as he nodded slightly. "Exorcising a malevolent spirit isn't difficult, but your husband isn't just being haunted by a ghost; it seems he made some sort of agreement with this female spirit himself..."

"Because of this, while it is easy for me to drive her away, your husband is bound by a contract with her. It would be very easy for him to be ensnared again..."

"Doing it this way only treats the symptoms, not the root cause..."

"..."

Although Zhou Yan had never received formal training, he understood in his heart that one could not simply destroy every wandering ghost or spirit they encountered.

To do so would only deplete his own accumulated yin virtue.

Even if, in truth, he didn't fully understand what yin virtue represented.

But business is business. Zhou Yan was only there to help people exorcise ghosts and ward off evil; he couldn't afford to lose his own capital in the process.

Therefore, as long as a spirit hadn't taken a human life, he would not kill them lightly.

"Then what should we do?" The woman was suddenly panicked.

Zhou Yan reassured her, "Don't be anxious. I will first suppress the female ghost so your husband can regain his senses. Once we have clarified the situation, we will decide how to proceed."

Hearing this, the woman nodded repeatedly. "Good, good. Please, Master Zhou, take action."

"You go outside first."

Zhou Yan said this bluntly.

The woman knew Zhou Yan's rules. She cast a worried glance at her husband before gradually walking out and closing the bedroom door behind her.

As the room plunged into darkness, Zhou Yan looked at the man and said in a deep voice, "I don't care what grievances you have with him; you can discuss them slowly once he regains his senses. Now, be a good spirit and get out of the way. Don't be an obstruction."

"Roar..."

The female ghost seemed provoked. Possessing the man, she bared her fangs and hissed at Zhou Yan with a vicious expression.

Seeing that the entity wouldn't listen to reason, Zhou Yan didn't stand on ceremony. He simply glared.

In an instant, an invisible storm of energy erupted from Zhou Yan's eyes.

This energy took the form of a Yaksha—grim-faced, winged, holding a steel trident, and radiating black mist like a creature from purgatory.

If an ordinary person were to see this, they would be scared to death; there was not a hint of a Buddhist guardian deity about it.

The Yaksha entered the man's body directly and gave the female ghost a brutal beating. The previously snarling spirit was reduced to whimpering, shrinking into a corner of the man's mind.

Even so, the female ghost refused to leave the man's body.

Zhou Yan nodded in satisfaction, withdrawing the thought-form of the Yaksha back into his own soul.

He had obtained the Yakshas Meditation Method over a month ago. Through grueling, day-and-night practice, he had tortured his soul until he felt like he was hovering between life and death. Several times, he had collapsed on the ground for long periods, his mind completely blank and devoid of sensation.

Fortunately, his hard work was not in vain; he had successfully raised the Yakshas Meditation Method to the proficient level.

Now, Zhou Yan could not only visualize the complete image of a Yaksha within his own mind, but he could also briefly manifest his thoughts into a Yaksha to leave his body and attack.

If he encountered an enemy with a weak soul, a single strike would be enough to kill them.

At the very least, it would leave them dizzy and in agonizing pain.

By comparison, that young master who used the Yakshas Meditation Method to command evil spirits to do harm was truly casting pearls before swine.

As Zhou Yan withdrew the Yaksha thought-form, the expression on the man's face began to change. The sinister, gloomy look faded, replaced by a clear sense of vitality.

"Alright, come in."

At Zhou Yan's words, the woman, who had been waiting anxiously outside, rushed in. Seeing the change in her husband, she hurried forward. "Asheng, Asheng, wake up quickly. If something happens to you, how are our child and I supposed to live?"

Under his wife's calling, the man's once-vacant eyes began to regain their luster, and he recognized her.

"Aying, you... I..."

At this moment, the man had not fully recovered; his memory was still stuck at the time of the incident, and he was struggling to regain his bearings.

However, it didn't take long for the man to understand everything through his wife's explanation.

"Master, save me!"

The man immediately knelt before Zhou Yan, pleading loudly.

Seeing her husband kneel, the woman quickly knelt as well, joining in the plea.

Zhou Yan frowned slightly and spoke to reassure them, "Don't be anxious. First, tell me the whole story from beginning to end..."

Seeing Zhou Yan's calm expression, the man felt a slight sense of relief.

Immediately, he recounted the situation.

Although Asheng's family was not wealthy, they had some savings thanks to the hard work of their ancestors. He himself was not a bad man; aside from a fondness for alcohol, he was quite decent in other respects, and he managed the family restaurant very well.

A few days ago, Asheng had drunk a bit too much during a business engagement.

After seeing his guests off, he was muddled and confused. On his way home, he somehow ended up in an unfamiliar place.

There, he saw a beautiful woman who was gentle and attentive toward him.

Wine is the catalyst for lust. In his dazed state, Asheng forgot what he had done and what promises he might have made.

When he woke up the next day, he found himself in the ruins of a dilapidated house.

Asheng had forgotten everything about the previous night, so he simply brushed the dust off his clothes, cursing his bad luck, and headed home.

But on the second night, Asheng dreamt of a woman coming to demand a promise, which he flatly refused.

That was the end of it; Asheng lost consciousness immediately, and only just regained his senses...

Zhou Yan frowned slightly. "So, you don't even remember what you promised?"

Asheng's face turned bitter as he shook his head. "I really don't remember."

Zhou Yan already had an idea; this looked like a setup from every angle.

However, it was undeniable that Asheng had made a promise and entered into a contract with the female ghost.

Now, it all depended on what the female ghost's conditions were.

If it wasn't too difficult, it would be better for Asheng to resolve it himself, so as not to damage his own karmic merit.

Zhou Yan manifested another thought, sending it into Asheng's body to negotiate with the female ghost.

A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at Asheng. "It's settled. I've reached an agreement with the ghost. Since you gave your word, all you need to do now is help her transcend and enter the cycle of reincarnation.

I will give you a spirit tablet shortly with the ghost's name on it. You only need to offer three sticks of incense every day for forty-nine days..."

Asheng and his wife nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. "No problem, we will do whatever you say, Master."

Zhou Yan nodded in satisfaction.

After everything was finished, the couple left, showering him with gratitude.

He watched them depart, his eyes flickering slightly.

Through his recent work of exorcising spirits and dispelling evil, Zhou Yan had gradually realized that not every ghost needed to be destroyed. Most wandering spirits were forced to remain in the mortal realm to suffer, and they longed for nothing more than to be transcended and reincarnated.

What just happened was a very simple matter; if Asheng hadn't forgotten his promise, there would have been no need for him to come seeking help at all...